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Notes on the Setting
Races Dwarves The dwarves of Amn and Tethyr are mostly shield dwarves formerly of Iltkazar, the Mithril Kingdom. This small city-state was the last sub-kingdom of the eight sub-kingdoms of Shanatar, the former dwarven underground kingdom within the Underdark. (The whole area is now part of the Underdark Realm known as Old Shanatar.) It was ruled by King Mith Barak the Clanless, a silver dragon who spent 75 out of every 100 years asleep as a silver statue sitting on his throne. (This was a side effect of his powerful abilities as a spellcaster.) The kingdom was ruled by a Regency Council in his absence. Most of the city was located in a single great cavern. Despite its considerable defences, it fell to the giant invasion 160 years ago, as one of the first places to be attacked when the giants moved into the mountains. It’s main entrance was large enough for even a storm giant to pass, as it had been expanded due to the immense trade in mithril goods, it’s main export. Although they held out against assault for a considerable time by getting resources into the city by other, smaller passages, they eventually fell when a strike force of orcs followed a supplies caravan into the city, opening the gate for a waiting army of giants. This forced them to abandon their home, fleeing down onto the plains of Tethyr and left a hatred of orcs across the entire race that persists to this day. During this war however, in their need to defend themselves, the shield dwarves’ researchers developed the first formula for black powder and the first cannons. Since the sacking of Iltkazar, many dwarves made their way into cities, and eventually found the coast. Using their advanced black powder weapons and with no home to go to, the dwarven peoples excelled at naval combat, and many dwarves took to the seas. They are now known as the best race of sailors to this day (with the exception of minotaurs, who are far rarer by comparison). There is one location of note in Tethyr for the dwarves: The mining town of Deb'Kazad, located in the Starspire Mountains. A dwarvern mine is not a mine as humans would understand it, rather it is a vast underground city, or even a kingdom, reaching into the first layers of the Underdark. Deb'Kazad is a shadow of this, and is not a true dwarf mine but closer to that of a human one. It is an attempt by some dwarves at establishing a new dwarvern kingdom, but such an endeavour will take generations to create, and was only founded 30 years ago after Queen Zaranda Star granted permission to use the territory, much to the dismay of some of the hill/mountain tribes in the region. Elves Generally distrustful of dwarves due to their lack of respect for nature, but they do not outright hate each other as they so often do in other fantasy settings. They react to humans differently across Faerun, based on the large amount of variation in human behaviour and their experiences of the local human kingdoms. In the Wealdath, they have good relations with Queen Zaranda Star and most nearby settlements, particularly the town of Mosstone, but treat anyone who violates their rules in the forests harshly, and defend their borders against any potential invaders. They also hunt the dangerous wildlife of the Wealdath, but only with the intent to keep the population in check, and refuse to wipe out even the most threatening of beasts. Tieflings The first tieflings appeared when a group of human cultists struck a pact with Asmodeus for infernal power during a war against the dragonborn. As well as being created when a fiend mates with a non-fiend, they can be the offspring of two tieflings, one tiefling and one human (or similar, e.g. elf), or even two non-tiefling parents. As we would understand it, it is a rare recessive gene, but with a higher chance of being inherited (even if it isn’t dominant), and has varying strength. Some tieflings look passably human, others could be mistaken for a full or half-demon. Traits tend to vary based on the original infernal source. Dragonborn A very noble and honest race (“Dragonborn do not lie” - Draco-Spock) with a violent past. Distrustful of their violent and cruel ancestors, they hate chromatic dragons, regardless of their own colour type. Many worship Bahamut but not all, as they are known to worship gods relevant to their trade or of the culture they integrate into. They have a keen eye for gems and items of value, but also have a strong sense of self-restraint. White dragonborn do not exist except as tribes on the icy tundras at the poles of the planet. Nobody really knows their true origin. A common myth is that they are the offspring of dragons mating with humans whilst in their human form (or possibly their true form?!?!?), but the existence of half-dragons shows that to be untrue. A few believe that they were created to serve the first dragons or bred by them as slaves, but this is widely dismissed as speculation as there is little evidence to support this. Regardless, they once served as armies or slave masters to powerful ancient dragons, but soon found freedom through a desire to rule their own. Centuries ago they were a militant warmongering race, and during a particular war (around 200-250 DR) against a human kingdom in the east a name, the humans struck a pact with Asmodeus, creating the first line of tieflings. Despite the pact, the tieflings lost the war and were enslaved. 100-200 years later 350-400 DR a golden dragon disguised as a dragonborn began preaching the word of Bahamut and rose to power, eventually leading the dragonborn to become the peaceful and noble race they are today. It is not known how old the race is but it is likely that their first civilisations predate the earliest human ones. Halflings The two sub-races of halflings may seem similar to a stranger, but stoutfoot halflings tend to become tinkerers and settle in towns cities, and occasionally their own villages or settlements, preferring home and hearth, and hearty, rich food and ale. Some say they have dwarven blood in them. Lightfoot halflings are often more nomadic, sometimes travelling alone or as part of trading caravan, but most often seen in nomadic tribes or large family units. They often form short but passionate relationships and strong friendships, and will often exchange members as they meet each other on the road. They do not abandon home however, and always keep in contact with their family, leaving messages in towns and local inns for relatives on where they can be reached next. The often employ themselves as traders in this way, earning a little cash and giving more purpose to their travels, and never settle in one place for long. Both sub-races excel at business, and have an eye for detail. They can often become weavers, or master shipwrights in many coastal cities. For this reason they are often greatly accepted among human settlements as shrewd but honest businessmen. Half-orcs Generally they are treated as you would expect. Orcs themselves have no sense of pure-bloodedness, as Gruumsh (their primary god) decreed that orcs are to spread their seed in the lands they sack. Half-orcs are most commonly the product of human and orc bandit tribes merging for mutual gain. Though they could also be bred with species besides humans, their orcish nature generally masks most other heritages. They are more likely to be found in orc tribes, though they have been known to live in human cities, particularly the more cosmopolitan ones, serving as labourers or sometimes muscle. Most races will not be very accepting of a lone half-orc, but would mostly just try to avoid angering them, crossing the road to avoid them, surreptitiously hiding their valuables, and trying to finish their conversations as soon as possible. They are not likely to be attacked outright unless seen in packs with clear malicious intent. The one exception to this is the dwarves - they hate the orcs more than any other race, due to their part in the fall of Iltkazar, and this hatred spills over to half-orcs just as much. They will yell abuse at half-orcs if they feel safe enough or strong enough, and some may provoke or even outright attack them. Gnomes By far the rarest race from the Player's Handbook in Faerun, simply because the majority live in hidden burrows concealed by magic. Curious and inventive, and masters of illusion and deception, the ones that do venture into the world most often become inventors, tinkers and alchemists in cities. Others prefer the freedom of travel, becoming bards or illusionists and making a living through entertainment. Always gleeful and mischievous, they tend to be good at heart and their deception and trickery generally takes the form of pranks over outright evil acts.